


Let's Take Our Time

by chalantness



Category: Black Panther (2018), Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Vague Optimistic Future, Vague Spoiler
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-30
Updated: 2018-04-30
Packaged: 2019-04-30 01:20:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14485677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chalantness/pseuds/chalantness
Summary: “I’ve never been to prom, but I hear it’s a big deal.”





	Let's Take Our Time

**Author's Note:**

  * For [oceanicspirit](https://archiveofourown.org/users/oceanicspirit/gifts).



> Inspired by [this post](http://sassaspazz.tumblr.com/post/173208778377/joe-russo-name-a-infinity-war-character-you-would).
> 
> This ended up being less focused on Steve and Natasha than I’d intended, but I needed extra fluffy feels when it came to Peter, so that’s why this is mostly just Natasha and Peter being adorable together. Also, I snuck in a shameless promotion of my newest ship of all things pure, aka: Peter and Shuri! Kudos to everyone who can tell which song this vague title comes from! And also kudos to everyone who can guess the "prom theme" I picked and... totally forgot to work into the actual dialogue...

“Are you nervous?”

Peter narrows his eyes at her a little, though the gesture is half-hearted and mostly just endearing on his face. “Why—why would even go there, Nat?” he asks – almost _whines_ – and she laughs because she can’t quite help herself. The kid has been in space, has battled aliens and practically gods, and a high school prom shakes his confidence?

She knows better than to say that out loud, though, so she just presses her lips together and watches as he fumbles with his tie for the fifth time in front of her vanity mirror. She knows it’s not the dance that he’s really worried about, and honestly, she doesn’t think he’s all that worried to begin with. Most kids probably sweat it out a little bit when it comes to something like this, with all the pressure to make the night special, to go out with a bang. Peter has his insecurities, but he’s far more confident than he gives himself credit for. He’ll probably loosen up as soon as they get to the venue, if not sooner, and then laugh at himself when he realizes he made such a big fuss over something that’s supposed to be _fun_.

“ _Nat_ ,” he groans in exasperation, turning to face her. How he’s managed to practically knot his fingers together is beyond her.

She chuckles, gets up from the armchair and walks over to him. “Do you want to tell me what’s going on with you?” she asks as she starts loosening his tie.

“I don’t know!” he says in this breathy sort of exclamation, and then he tapers off into a laugh. “I know I’m being ridiculous, but I can’t help it.”

“You’re not being ridiculous, Peter,” she chuckles, smoothing the wrinkles out of his tie as she gets it unknotted. He pulls his fingers free, shakes them out a little, and then peers at her with those big brown eyes of his. It’s not like she forgets how young he is – and he sure as hell doesn’t always _act_ like he’s only in high school – but still. Sometimes she needs to be reminded of it. “You’re being a _teenager_ ,” she tells him, tucking his tie properly underneath his collar then looping it into place. “I’ve never been to prom, but I hear it’s a big deal.”

“You’ve never been to prom?” he asks, eyebrows furrowed, and then in the same breath, his expression shifts in realization. “Oh, right, because of you were in—yeah.”

She laughs, and he gives her one of his boyish grins. “Yeah. _That_.” Then she tugs the knot into place, patting his chest. “Most teens find prom a little unnerving, is what I’m saying.”

He nods. “I know, I know,” he exhales, more to himself than to her.

“Well, except for your date.”

This makes him laugh. “Except for my date,” he agrees, his eyes flitting to the door, as if expecting Shuri to waltz in now that they’ve mentioned her.

Natasha is hardly the kind of person to find things _cute_ , but there’s really no other way to describe Peter and Shuri. It had been Peter’s idea to invite her to his prom, and, with the rest of their secrets out and their identities bared for the world to know, it was kind of a genius move to appeal to the public. Not only as an act of diplomacy, but also as an act to show the Avengers as civilians, living their lives as everyone else does. She knows that hadn’t been Peter’s reason for asking Shuri, though. The two of them have been practically joined at the hip since the moment they met, and the fact that they live on different continents does little to get in the way of their friendship. There really was no guessing who would be his date.

(T’challa taught him how to ask Shuri in their native tongue, too, and then Peter spent two weeks saying the words over and over again until he’d gotten the hang of them.)

Taking a step back, Peter holds his arms out and asks, “So? How do I look?”

“ _Adorable_ ,” she teases, and he’s laughing as he rolls his eyes. She grins, reaches up and tucks his hair into place. “You look like you’re about to have a great night.”

He laughs, his entire expression brightening, and he’s definitely not as nervous as he was a moment ago.

Then something catches his gaze, and his eyebrows furrow ever so slightly as he walks past her. “What’s this for?” he asks, picking up the dress that Pepper had given to her earlier today. It wouldn’t be the first time Pepper had left a gown hanging on the hook behind her door – almost everything that Natasha has ever worn to Stark Industries events have come from Pepper – but the woman hadn’t explained what it was for. Probably another gala that Tony will mention at the last second. It’s a gorgeous gown, too: a white lace bust with a silky champagne skirt that flares at from the hips and parts up to her thigh on one side. “Have you tried it on yet?” he asks, picking it up by the hanger. She shakes her head. “You should.”

“Now?” she asks with a laugh as he hands it to her.

“Yeah! Why not?” He starts unzipping the clear garment bag. “How many times do I actually get this dressed up? We should take advantage of it.”

“To do what? Take pictures?” She’s mostly joking, but he shrugs his shoulders as if to say, _sure, why not?_ “Peter.”

“Just—put it on.” He waves a hand at her. “I won’t look, I promise.” Then he spins on his heels and heads straight for her closet, telling her over his shoulder, “I’ll get your shoes! I’ve helped Aunt May pick out her shoes like, dozens of times, so I kind of know what I’m doing.”

That’s kind of the sweetest visual ever, and honestly, she’s been itching to put the thing on ever since she found it in her room this morning. He’s also being weirdly insistent on her wearing this, and maybe if she just plays along, he’ll tell her why. So she pulls it from the garment bag, lays it on the bed and reaches for the hem of her shirt. Peter still has his back to her when she glances at him – he’s on his knees now as he goes through her shoe boxes – and she knows without a doubt that he won’t sneak a peek. Still, she’s sure to be quick as she slips out of her shirt and jeans, tossing everything onto the chair of her vanity and then slipping into the dress, zipping it up at the side. As usual, Pepper had gotten the fit perfect.

“Alright, kid. What do you think?”

Peter glances over his shoulder, and it’s kind of hard to ignore this stupid warmth in her chest when he’s smiling at her like that.

“Whoa,” he breathes out with this sort of laugh, hopping back onto his feet. “You look— _great_ , Nat! Really, really great. Here.” He holds out the heels he’d chosen – gold, with thin heels and a single, sparkling strap for each ankle – and then offers his arm for her to hold onto as she slips them on. “Perfect! Oh. Wait. You need jewelry, right?”

She chuckles as he tugs her toward the vanity. “Is there any particular reason you want to play dress up with me?”

He shrugs his shoulders again, starts pulling open the drawers of her jewelry box. “I like hanging out with you, and I feel like I’ve hardly seen you since I started senior year.”

“Well, just because the world knows you’re Spider-Man doesn’t mean you can skip school whenever you want,” she points out.

“I know, I know,” he laughs, picking up the gold necklace with a spider pendant that Tony had given her. Peter peers at it, then makes a face, dropping it back in the box, and she feels her lips tug in a smirk. Then he pulls out a slim, velvet box and pops it open, then smiles. “Who gave you this?” he asks, carefully lifting the string of pearls and holding it up.

“Steve.” She knows she’s smiling like an idiot, but whatever. Peter grins as he hands it to her, and she drapes it around her neck, clasping it into place. “So? Is the look complete?”

“Definitely.” He offers his arm and she laughs as she slips her hand into the crook of his elbow, leading her out of the room. “You really _do_ look beautiful, Nat.”

Fuck, this boy is the sweetest. “Thanks, kid.”

The hallway lights are dimmed as they’re walking through, which might not have normally caught her attention. Even with the calm that they’ve lapsed into since the Avengers came back together, there are still places for them to be, work for them to do. She doesn’t really keep track of everyone’s schedules, so the fact that she hasn’t seen anyone since they all had breakfast this morning is something that she hadn’t thought twice about. Not until now. Because, as Peter chatters on about what happened on his assignment with Sam, she realizes that the place is quiet. Almost eerily so. She’d expected to Tony and T’challa to be around, since they’ll be escorting Peter and Shuri to prom, and with Shuri’s mother back in Wakanda, May had come by to help Shuri get ready. She knows that May had a bit of pampering planned for the girl, but Natasha doubts that it would take them more than two hours.

They’re just about to walk into the common room when she places a hand on Peter’s arm to stop him, glancing over her shoulder.

“Nat?” The kid has a bit of a grin on his lips even as he furrows his eyebrows. “You okay?”

There’s something to his tone that makes her narrow her eyes ever so slightly. “It’s quiet,” she points out.

His grin widens. Oh, he’s in on this, whatever _this_ is.

“Peter—”

“Come on,” he cuts her off with a laugh, taking her arm with one hand and tugging them forward, and the doors slide open.

 _Lights_. The first thing her gaze catches are the lights: twinkling fairy lights _everywhere,_ draping from the tall ceilings and along the walls, some of them nearly brushing the floors. There are feathers everywhere, too, strung along silvery threads between the curtains of lights.

“Nat,” someone says, and she pulls her gaze from the lights to find Steve standing just a few steps away from her, giving her one of his crooked, boyish grins. He’s decked out in a tux and, even as his eyes trace her up and down, taking in her dress, he doesn’t seem surprised at all that she’s wearing it. Shuri is standing right beside him, beaming widely and looking as stunning as ever in her dress – a white bodice adorned in dozens and dozens of colored crystals, with a full skirt that makes her look like something out of a Disney princess movie.

“Come,” Shuri says, stepping forward and taking Natasha’s hands. “Let’s switch,” she tells her, and doesn’t wait for a response before tugging Natasha forward and almost right into Steve’s chest as she spins around and takes her place beside Peter, bumping her arm playfully against his. “Hello, prom date.”

Peter laughs, holding his hand out so she can take it. “You look _amazing!_ ” he says, his voice sort of breathy and bright.

“Thank you.” She reaches up, gently tugs at the lapels of his blazer. “Not as advanced as the suits I’ve made you, but still, you look quite handsome in this.”

He laughs again as he says something else, but Natasha doesn’t quite catch it, because Steve takes her hand in his and brings it to his lips, brushing a kiss to her knuckles. Her heart does this stupid little flutter, but she doesn’t hate it. Not at all. “You look beautiful,” he murmurs, his breath warm and tingling against her skin. “Do you like the dress?”

She glances down, runs her free hand over the silk skirt. “Pepper has excellent taste, as usual.” Arching an eyebrow at him, she asks, “So, are you going to confess what this is about?”

He chuckles as he releases her hand to grasp her by her waist, drawing her to his chest. She peers up into his ridiculously blue eyes and feels her heart flutter again when she finds them staring down at her lips. The corner of her mouth tugs into a smirk and then his gaze lifts to meet hers, his eyes twinkling. “Well, my first confession is that I was the one to pick out your dress.” He slides one of his hands up her side and she sucks in a soft breath, his hands stopping just short of the curve of her breast. “You’re quite easy for me to size up.”

“I would hope so.” Her smirk widens ever so slightly. “You’ve become rather familiar with my body, after all.”

“ _Nat_ ,” he breathes, half-amused, half-warning.

“As fun as this conversation is for us teenagers to have to hear,” Shuri chimes in, her voice lilting in a laugh, and Natasha looks over her shoulder as the girl takes Peter’s hand with both of hers. “My brother and Stark are waiting for us. We have a prom to get to, so we’ll leave you to yours!”

“Have fun!” Peter calls out as Shuri is tugging him away. She whispers something into his ear, and their laughter trails through the air as the doors slide shut.

“Prom?” Natasha turns to look at Steve again, and he gives her a crooked, boyish grin in return. “What is she talking about?”

He reaches up, tucks her hair behind her ear. “You told me you’ve never gone to prom before,” he tells her, trailing his fingers down the line of her jaw and then smoothing his thumb over her cheek. She leans into his palm, winding her arms around his torso a little tighter. “And I didn’t exactly have the best time at my prom back in the thirties.”

“So that’s enough of a reason to go through all this trouble?” Her voice comes out thin and a little bit tight, and maybe if it was someone else, they would find it bitchy. But this is _Steve_ and he knows better. He knows _her_ , knows that she’s just a little bit overwhelmed right now.

“You’re always enough of a reason.” He says it simply, easily, without missing a beat, and she feels a warmth unfurl in her stomach. “And it’s not trouble if it’s for _you_.”

“ _Fuck_ , you’re such a sap,” she whispers. He chuckles, leans in and brushes his lips to the middle of her forehead, and her eyelashes dot with tears when she blinks them quickly.

“So? How did I do?”

She breathes out a laugh, stretches on her toes and kisses the corner of his mouth. “Isn’t a prom supposed to have more people involved?”

He gives her a cheeky grin. “Yeah, but it seemed pointless to invite everyone when all I’d want to do is be alone with you.” He turns his head ever so slightly to kiss her, once, twice, three times, each a little slower and a little deeper. She leans into him, twisting his blazer between her fingers. “Of course, if you _want_ to share this moment with everyone else—”

He’s teasing and she knows it, so she nips at his lower lip, relishing in the soft groan she pulls from the back of his throat. Then she draws back, just a little, and Steve blinks his eyes open to catch her gaze. “Just _you_ ,” she breathes, and his smile softens. “I just want you.”

She’s talking about more than just tonight, more than just this moment, but she doesn’t need to say this. She knows Steve will understand. He always does.

“You’ve got me.” He leans his forehead against hers and her eyelashes flutter closed, her pulse quickening. “You’ve always got me.”


End file.
